Train Your Mind to Lucid Dream

Rachel GrussiApril 29, 20141

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Simply put, lucid
dreaming is awareness of
the fact that you are dreaming, but the spectrum which this covers is
very broad. It can range from very faint recognition of the fact to
something as momentous as a broadening of awareness beyond what has ever
been experienced even in waking life. Usually, lucid dreams happen while
a person is in the middle of a regular dream and suddenly realizes that
she is dreaming. However, once she has this figured out, the ability to
control one’s dreams comes into play, which is the sought-after part of
lucid dreaming.

So how can you start lucid
dreaming? You can start training
your mind during your waking hours, so you can have more playtime during
your dreaming ones. Try any combination of these methods:

"Am I Dreaming?"

During the day, repeatedly ask "Am I dreaming?" and perform some reality
checks whenever you remember. This may sound silly (obviously, you
aren’t dreaming during your waking hours), but it’s a form of mind
training. With enough repetition and practice, you will automatically
remember this action during your dreams and do it, thus gaining control.

Keep a Dream Journal

Don’t skip this one! This is perhaps the most important step towards
lucid dreaming. Keep it close by your bed at night, and write in it
immediately after waking. Don’t wander off, or you’re more likely to
forget key details. If writing is too slow for you, though, try
recording on your cell phone or typing.

Why keep a dream journal? It helps you recognize your common dream
elements, such as people from your past, specific places, and so on. It
will also help you to recognize things that are unique to your dreams.
You will be able to recognize your own "dream signs." These will be
recurring things or events that you may notice in your dreams. It also
tells your brain that you are serious about remembering your dreams.

Track Your Sleep Schedule

Learn the best time to have a lucid dream. By being aware of your
personal sleep
schedule, you can
arrange your sleep pattern to help induce lucid dreams. Studies strongly
suggest that a nap a few hours after waking in the morning is the most
common time to have a lucid dream.

Lucid dreams are strongly associated with REM (rapid eye movement)
sleep, which is much more common just before you wake up for the last
time. Essentially, this means they most commonly occur right before
waking up. Dreams usually run in 60-minute cycles during sleep. If you
are working on dream recall, it may be helpful to try waking yourself up
during one of these cycles (interrupted dreams are often the ones we
remember).

The MILD Technique

A man by the name of Stephen Laberge's came up with the mnemonic
induction of lucid dreaming, dubbed MILD. You can try it by setting your
alarm clock to wake you up 4 ½, 6, or 7 ½ hours after falling asleep.
When you are awakened by your alarm clock, try to remember the dream as
much as possible. After you think you have remembered as much as you
can, return to your place of rest, imagining that you are in your
previous dream, and becoming aware that you are dreaming. Make a dream
mantra for yourself, somewhere along the lines of, "I will be aware that
I'm dreaming," or the like. Practice this until you think that it has
sunk into your subconscious. Then return to your sleep.

If you don’t fall asleep right away and have random thoughts pop up when
you are trying to fall asleep, repeat the imagining, self-suggestion
part, and try again. Don't worry if you think it's taking a long time.
The longer it takes, the more likely it will become part of your
subconscious, and the more likely you will have a lucid dream.

The WBTB Technique

According to lucid dreaming proponents, the Wake Back To Bed practice is
the most successful mind-training
technique. Try it by
setting your alarm clock to 5 hours after you fall asleep. After you
wake up, stay up for an hour with your mind focused on lucidity and
lucidity only. Then, go back to sleep using the MILD technique.

WILD Technique

This is the wake initiated lucid dream technique. At its core, it means
is that when you fall asleep, you carry your awareness from when you
were awake directly into REM sleep. Afterwards, you start out as a lucid
dream.

The basics steps begin with
meditating into a calm but focused
state. You can try counting breaths, visualizations, being in a quiet
soundproof area, whatever gets you Zen’ed. The next step is to get your
body back to the brink of sleep. You can try lying in your bed and
focusing your awareness onto the back of your head where it touches the
pillow. Wait until your inner voice shuts off; then you can imagine
sinking into your pillow until your body is just about asleep. Now,
shift your awareness out of your body while trying to hold onto your
awareness as tightly as possible. This will mean your body falls asleep
and you will pass lucidly into the dream world.

Diamond Method of Meditation

Another technique for overall "dream awareness" is the Diamond Method of
meditation, which some lucid dream practitioners claim can shortcut the
overall learning curve on how to lucid dream.

Again, begin by meditating. During this, try to visualize your life,
both waking and dream-life, as facets on a diamond. Some choose to call
this diamond shape the Universe, God, or even your Inner
Being. Regardless of
what you dub it, the point here is to begin to recognize that life is
happening all at once. It is only our perception that arranges our
dramas into linear or timed order. Just as a diamond appears, each
facet, if viewed as an individual experience, is continuing at the same
time your dreaming self experiences things, as well. Remember the goal
is a shift in awareness as you practice it.

The Letter A

During your waking hours, write an "A" (for "awake") on your palm. Every
time you notice the "A" during the day, challenge yourself to
concentrate on whether you are awake or asleep. Eventually you may see
the "A" marker in your sleep and become lucid.

Reality Checks

Start making reality checks a habit. Do at least three every time
something seems out of the ordinary, strongly frustrating, or
nonsensical. By making this a habit while you’re awake, it could carry
into your dreams when things start turning weird, thus signaling to you
that you’re sleeping and ready for a lucid dream. In order to remember
to do reality checks in dreams, however, you need to establish a habit
of doing reality checks in real life. One way to do a reality check is
to look for "dream signs" (elements that frequently occur during your
dreams, look for these in your dream journal), or things that would not
normally exist in real life, and then conduct the reality checks.
Frequently doing reality checks can stabilize dreams. This is also known
as DILD (Dream Induced Lucid Dreams). Some tactics you can try include:

Looking at a digital clock to see if it stays constant

Looking at a body of text, looking away, and then looking back to see
if it has changed

Flipping a light switch

Looking in a mirror (your image will vary, most often appear blurry or
not appear at all in a dream or appearing horribly disfigured in a
mirror)

Pinching your nose closed and trying to breathe

Glancing at your hands (which may have an abnormal number of fingers
on the hand)

Jumping in the air (you might be able to fly during dreams)

Poking yourself (when dreaming, your "flesh" might be more elastic
than in real life; a common reality check is pushing your finger through
the palm of your hand)

Leaning against a wall (in dreams, you will often fall through walls)

Analyze Your Dream Data

Check previous dreams in your dream journal. If you start to notice
patterns in your dreams, you will notice dream-signs, or certain things
that continue to reappear in your dreams. This may be as basic as all
dreams are in your house, or all your dreams have dogs in them. Pay
attention for certain constants. Get into the habit of doing dream
checks every time you see your dream sign, and eventually you'll see
your dream sign in a dream. You can then do a check and realize you're
dreaming.

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Rachel Grussi

California Bay Area native-turned-Coloradan Rachel Grussi Keller is a lifetime writer and UC Irvine graduate of Literary Journalism. Rachel’s true passion lies in telling the untold story, unraveling the facts and writing the best balance of all sides. With a benevolent bodybuilding father passing on his wellness wisdom, she has a long history of love for health and fitness, as well as helping others come to understand who they are and finding their value.
Rachel can often be found digging into Bioware titles, bonding with animals of all sizes (particularly dogs), traveling to destinations near and far, pushing the limit on her library card and putting yet another mile into her running shoes. She currently lives in the Denver area with her own Prince Charming, Jonathan, and their eternally-energetic, loveable Lab-Pit mutt, Lani.
Twitter: @rgrussi